"She said she was looking at buying a gun for self-defense," Mitchell said. "She wanted a Glock, and she said she wanted to rent one to try it out before spending $500."

Had the woman attempted to buy a gun, chances are good that she would have had to wait days while a federal background check was completed, gun dealers and authorities said.

A firearms class was in progress when Robinson-Lundgren arrived, and she wasn't admitted to the gallery until about 6:20 p.m., Mitchell said. Several people, including the students, fired weapons at targets in the former movie theater for about 40 minutes.

When shooting gallery employees went to clear the gallery prior to the 7 p.m. closing, Robinson-Lundgren's body was found lying face down on the firing line, the point from which marksmen fire their weapons.

None of the other shooters noticed the suicide, Mitchell said, because of the noise of other gunshots and their intense concentration on their own activities.

Robinson-Lundgren, a native of the small community of Kungsbacka on Sweden's west coast, studied violin at the Oberlin Conservatory from 2001 to 2005, where she obtained performance and artist diplomas. Those 2-year programs are designed for musicians seeking a narrow program of study leading to a performing career.

Robinson-Lundgren then studied violin, with emphasis on performance, at the University of Kentucky from 2005 to 2007.

While at Oberlin, Robinson-Lundgren performed with the Trio Devoto, which won East Central Division Finals in the January 2004 Music Teachers National Association's senior chamber music competition.